A capacity-building workshop on the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and Heat Stress was organised here, emphasising the urgent need for scientific and sustainable solutions to tackle urban air pollution and rising temperatures.

The event was jointly hosted by the Bengaluru-based research organisation Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and ARTHA Global, in collaboration with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), said the release on Wednesday.

GVMC Additional Commissioner D.V. Ramana Murthy, attending as the chief guest, underscored the necessity of controlling emissions from both industrial and vehicular sources. He called for a coordinated effort among various stakeholders to transform Visakhapatnam into a climate-resilient and sustainable city.

Echoing these concerns, Shankar Naik, Regional Officer and Environmental Engineer of the AP Pollution Control Board, noted that the city’s air quality has improved due to the constant measures, the Air Quality Index (AQI) still occasionally surges to nearly 300, necessitating continued vigilance.

Experts at the workshop highlighted the importance of data-driven decision-making and scientific monitoring systems. Technical sessions focused on the development of emission inventories, source apportionment studies, and air quality modeling.

The CSTEP team, including Swagata Dey and Dr. Piyush Bhardwaj, detailed short-term and long-term strategies for improving urban air quality, emphasising that the “Data-to-Action” pipeline is essential for effective management.

The workshop also addressed the growing challenge of heat stress. Representatives from ARTHA Global presented a session titled “From Heat Maps to Action,” which advocated for integrating micro-level heat intelligence into urban planning and policy response systems. The discussions concluded that incorporating heat-risk assessments into city frameworks is vital for mitigating the impact of rising urban temperatures.